In what seems like a case of unintentionally perfect timing, the BASIC bloc of nations (Brazil, South Africa, India, and China), meeting in Cape Town, have issued a joint statement saying that a legally binding climate treaty needs to be enacted either at COP16 later this year in Cancun, or at the latest in 2011 at the South African climate talks. The latest seems to be considered the likely, at least if you listen to Indian Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh, quoted in Reuters:

Right now it looks like we will have to come back to Cape Town in 2011. There is no breakthrough in sight...we have a long way to go.

Part of that, of course, is the lack of progress for so long on a US climate bill. All of which seems to be derailed thanks to Arizona's new immigration law pushing climate to the back burner with the Obama administration and pulling Senator Lindsey Graham's support from the effort. Which in turn lessens the likelihood of the US passing a climate bill this year.

The silver lining in all this is a statement from Brazil's Environment Minister that gets beyond the 'wait to see what the US does' to act mindset:

Of course there is no way to fight climate change without the United States and we believe that we can be able to build an agreement that (would enable) the United States to come on board.

In what seems like a case of unintentionally perfect timing, the BASIC bloc of nations (Brazil, South Africa, India, and China), meeting in Cape Town, have issued a joint statement saying that a legally binding climate treaty